Several hundred opponents of abortion crowded into the state Capitol rotunda Wednesday on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision to rededicate themselves to fighting for restrictions on the procedure, including a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions and licensing and inspection rules for abortion clinics.
"This is the year we should end taxpayer-funded abortions once and for all," said Jan Ochsner, development associate for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, which sponsored the rally.
Action at the state level has been a bright spot for the anti-abortion side since President Obama, who supports abortion rights, took office in 2009, MCCL president Leo LaLonde told the gathering. The group heard U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Burnsville, an abortion opponent, say he has pushed abortion restrictions without success.
"How many of these have become law? None," Kline said. In Minnesota in recent years, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed measures favored by abortion opponents, including licensing and inspection rules for abortion clinics.
Mention of Dayton's vetoes drew "boos" from the anti-abortion gathering.
A low-level battle continues at the Minnesota Legislature over the issue, according to LaLonde and Linnea House, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota, the state's main abortion-rights advocacy group. Both expect the abortion-funding and licensing issues to return in the 2014 Legislative session, along with restrictions on abortion based on evidence of fetal pain.
Wednesday was the 41th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared abortion to be a constitutional right. Both sides see the anniversary in a different light.
"The Supreme Court made a horrible decision, leading to the destruction of 56 million lives," Kline told the audience, referring to the number of abortions since the Roe decision.
